EQB's (TSE:EQB) Upcoming Dividend Will Be Larger Than Last Year's

EQB Inc. (TSE:EQB) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend from last year's comparable payment on the 30th of September to CA$0.38. Although the dividend is now higher, the yield is only 1.8%, which is below the industry average.

While the dividend yield is important for income investors, it is also important to consider any large share price moves, as this will generally outweigh any gains from distributions. Investors will be pleased to see that EQB's stock price has increased by 33% in the last 3 months, which is good for shareholders and can also explain a decrease in the dividend yield.

See our latest analysis for EQB

EQB's Payment Expected To Have Solid Earnings Coverage

The dividend yield is a little bit low, but sustainability of the payments is also an important part of evaluating an income stock.

EQB has established itself as a dividend paying company with over 10 years history of distributing earnings to shareholders. While past records don't necessarily translate into future results, the company's payout ratio of 13% also shows that EQB is able to comfortably pay dividends.

The next 3 years are set to see EPS grow by 39.2%. Analysts estimate the future payout ratio will be 15% over the same time period, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.

EQB Has A Solid Track Record

The company has a sustained record of paying dividends with very little fluctuation. The dividend has gone from an annual total of CA$0.28 in 2013 to the most recent total annual payment of CA$1.48. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 18% a year over that time. It is good to see that there has been strong dividend growth, and that there haven't been any cuts for a long time.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

Investors who have held shares in the company for the past few years will be happy with the dividend income they have received. EQB has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 15% per annum. With a decent amount of growth and a low payout ratio, we think this bodes well for EQB's prospects of growing its dividend payments in the future.

We should note that EQB has issued stock equal to 10% of shares outstanding. Regularly doing this can be detrimental - it's hard to grow dividends per share when new shares are regularly being created.

We Really Like EQB's Dividend

Overall, we think this could be an attractive income stock, and it is only getting better by paying a higher dividend this year. The company is easily earning enough to cover its dividend payments and it is great to see that these earnings are being translated into cash flow. All of these factors considered, we think this has solid potential as a dividend stock.

Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. As an example, we've identified 2 warning signs for EQB that you should be aware of before investing. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high yield dividend stocks.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.